Necropsy submissions for external referring veterinary practices

Necropsy submissions

• Please contact us before submitting a cadaver for necropsy. Please call Easter Bush Pathology Reception (0131 651 7458) between 9am and 5pm or the post mortem room (0131 650 6411) between 9am and 4.30pm.
• Submissions from external referring veterinary surgeons should be accompanied by a submission form detailing signalment, pertinent history and clinical signs. Any requests regarding disposal of the cadaver (such as individual or group cremation) should be indicated on the submission form. Arrangements for cremation are normally the responsibility of the referring practice. Submission forms can be downloaded below:

Submission forms

• We are unable to offer a collection service. For those submitting from outside the Edinburgh area, we recommend using a reputable overnight courier. Please see packing instructions below.
• Please also provide your contact details (postal address, fax number and email address) for reporting. Reports are always sent to the submitting practice and not directly to the client.
• Unless there is unavoidable delay between death and submission, please do not freeze the cadaver.
• For Health and Safety reasons, we cannot handle primates of uncertain health check status or badgers from known TB-affected areas.
• If in doubt, please do contact us for advice before submission. With the above exceptions we can handle anything from mice to elephants...

Timescale

An initial macroscopic report will be sent to you within two days of the necropsy. Any follow-up histopathology will normally be reported within two weeks but please let us know if there is a particular urgency.

Microbiology

Microbiology collected at time of necropsy (up to 3 sites) incurs an extra charge (no sensitivity performed).

The standard necropsy fee does not include VAT, cremation/disposal charge or additional microbiology or histopathology. While we will retain samples for virology, all virology testing is done by external laboratories.

Packing

Please send the cadaver in at least one, preferably two, sealed plastic bags within a leak proof, plastic container surrounded by ice packs and an outer layer of absorbent material, such as cotton wool or paper towels.

Unfortunately it is not possible to return cadavers for private burial after a post mortem examination has been performed. Only small companion animals (dogs, cats and smaller) can be returned to the owner and only after cremation. We also regret that we cannot directly organise or handle private cremations but pet cremation companies e.g. Pet Crematorium can collect from EBP on a regular basis. It is the responsibility of the referring vet to organise private cremation of a cadaver after post mortem examination, as well as subsequent delivery to the owner. Otherwise animals will be routinely cremated with no ashes returned.